Penny Wong | |||||||||||||||||
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![]() Official portrait, 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
Minister for Foreign Affairs | |||||||||||||||||
Assumed office 23 May 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Anthony Albanese | ||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Marise Payne | ||||||||||||||||
Leader of the Government in the Senate | |||||||||||||||||
Assumed office 1 June 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Anthony Albanese | ||||||||||||||||
Deputy | Don Farrell | ||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Simon Birmingham | ||||||||||||||||
In office 27 June 2013 – 18 September 2013 | |||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Kevin Rudd | ||||||||||||||||
Deputy | Jacinta Collins | ||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Stephen Conroy | ||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Eric Abetz | ||||||||||||||||
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate | |||||||||||||||||
In office 18 September 2013 – 23 May 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
Deputy | Stephen Conroy Don Farrell Kristina Keneally | ||||||||||||||||
Leader | Bill Shorten Anthony Albanese | ||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Eric Abetz | ||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Simon Birmingham | ||||||||||||||||
Minister for Finance and Deregulation | |||||||||||||||||
In office 14 September 2010 – 18 September 2013 | |||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Julia Gillard Kevin Rudd | ||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Lindsay Tanner | ||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Mathias Cormann | ||||||||||||||||
Minister for Climate Change | |||||||||||||||||
In office 3 December 2007 – 14 September 2010 | |||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Kevin Rudd Julia Gillard | ||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Office created | ||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Greg Combet | ||||||||||||||||
Senator for South Australia | |||||||||||||||||
Assumed office 1 July 2002 | |||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Chris Schacht | ||||||||||||||||
Personal details | |||||||||||||||||
Born | Penelope Ying-Yen Wong 5 November 1968 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia | ||||||||||||||||
Citizenship |
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Political party | Labor | ||||||||||||||||
Spouse |
Sophie Allouache (m. 2024) | ||||||||||||||||
Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
Education | University of Adelaide (BA, LLB) University of South Australia (LPC) | ||||||||||||||||
Signature | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||
Website | pennywong | ||||||||||||||||
Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 黃英賢 | ||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 黄英贤 | ||||||||||||||||
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Penelope Ying-Yen Wong (born 5 November 1968) is an Australian politician who is serving as the current minister for Foreign Affairs and leader of the Government in the Senate in the Albanese government since 2022. A member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), she has been a senator for South Australia since 2002. Wong previously served as minister for Climate Change and minister for Finance and Deregulation during the governments of Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard from 2007 until 2013.
Born in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia to a Chinese Malaysian father from the town of Sandakan and an English Australian mother from Adelaide, Wong was educated at Scotch College prior to attending the University of Adelaide, graduating with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees. Prior to beginning her political career, she worked as a lawyer and political advisor. Wong entered politics by winning a Senate seat in the 2001 election.
Following Labor's victory in the 2007 election, she was appointed Australia's first ever Minister for Climate Change, going on to represent the country at the landmark 2009 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Following the 2010 election, Wong was moved to become Minister for Finance and Deregulation, and in June 2013, she was elected by her colleagues to become Leader of the Government in the Senate. Following Labor's defeat in the 2013 election, Wong held several roles in the shadow cabinets of both Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese, serving as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate throughout. Upon Labor's victory at the 2022 election, Wong was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs, and resumed her role as Leader of the Government in the Senate.
In 2008, she became the first Asian-Australian in an Australian Cabinet.[1] She was also the first female openly-LGBTI Australian federal parliamentarian, and was an instrumental figure in the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia in 2017, reversing her previous endorsement of Labor Party policy that had opposed it.[2][3][4][5][6] On 6 March 2024, Wong became longest-serving female cabinet minister in the history of the Australian Parliament. Several surveys have consistently found Wong to be the most trusted politician in Australia.[7]
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